Watchcase and dial therefor



April 26, 1938. L. COHEN WATCHCASE AND DIAL THEREFOR Filed' Nov. 11,1937

ISmaentor L 0 41/5 C 0145 N.

attorney Patented Apr. 26, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WATCHCASE AND DIAL THEREFOR Application November 11, 1937, Serial No. 174,045

4 Claims.

This application relates to watch cases and dials therefor, and more particularly to curved wrist watch cases.

In watch cases, such as Wrist watch cases,

which are curved, difiiculty is experienced in properly seating the dial in the case or conforming the dial to the longitudinal curvature of the case. Furthermore as the watch movement is ordinarily provided with a fiat surface, the seating of a curved dial over such surface between the latter and the bezel results in a space between the dial and the watch movement through which moisture and dirt can find its way into the watch movement. One object of the invention is to obviate these difliculties and disadvantages.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for fitting a watch dial of predetermined size and configuration, as for example, a rectangular watch dial, in a watch case, in association with either a watch movement which conforms to the shape of the case or with any type of watch movement, as for example, a circular watch movement which may be mounted in the case.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for readily conforming in curvature initially fiat watch dials to watch cases which may differ somewhat in longitudinal curvature.

A yet further object of the invention is generally to provide a watch dial combination and arrangement whereby to facilitate the assembly and fitting of the dial in combination with watch cases of various curvatures and with watch movements of various sizes and shapes.

The above objects of the invention and other objects ancillary thereto will be best understood from the following description considered with reference to the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a wrist watch including the dial assembly embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side View of the watch showing the top of the watch case separated from the bottom of the case;

Fig. 3 is a side view of a dial assembly embodying the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view thereof;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 6 and '7 are views similar to Figs. 3 and 4, respectively, showing an assembly including a supplemental dial plate of another form.

Referring now to the drawing in greater detail,

the watch illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises a watch case having a top I0 and a bottom I2 of conventional construction, said top and bottom of the case having a longitudinal curvature for conforming to the curvature of the wearers wrist. The watch case top ID has an inturned bezel portion I4 on which the watch crystal I6 is seated in the usual way. Bezel I4 conforms longitudinally to the curvature of the case top and is engaged by a dial plate I8 which has the same' longitudinal curvature so that the marginal side edges of the dial plate I8 are in engagement throughout with the bottom edges of the sides of said bezel. The edges of the bezel at the opposite ends 22 thereof also engage dial plate I8 at the opposite ends of said dial. The watch movement 24 is mounted within the bottom I2 of the watch case in the usual way and the case top Ill is fastened in position over dial I8 and releasably secured in said position as by snapping the parts 1 of the watch case together, although it will be understood that the top and bottom of the watch case can be hingedly connected or otherwise assembled, as the manner of securing the top and bottom of the watch case to each other does not per se form part of the present invention.

When, as is usually, if not invariably the situation, the outer surface 26 of the watch movement is fiat, it is difficult to properly seat the curved dial plate I8 in position between the watch movement of the curved bezel, and furthermore even when the dial is properly seated initially it may be deformed subsequently. Moreover, the seating of the curved dial between the flat surface of the watch movement and the curved bezel leaves a space between the dial and the movement through which dirt or moisture can find its way into the delicate mechanism of the movement. For eliminating these difficulties, disadvantages and objections, there is utilized in accordance with the present invention a supplementary plate 28 which, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 to 4 of the drawing, has a flat lower surface 30 which seats upon the upper flat surface 26 of the watch movement, and an upper curved surface 32 which conforms in curvature to the lower surface of dial plate I8 and is otherwise shaped and dimensioned to lit and substantially fill the space between dial plate I8 and the upper surface 26 of watch movement 24, which space would otherwise exist by reason of the shaping of the dial I8 to the longitudinal curvature of the watch case top Ill. Said plate 28 is provided with a comparatively large central opening 34 which registers with a dial opening 36 for the passage of the hour and minute hand spindles of the watch and also with a dial opening 38 for the spindle of the second-hand of the watch.

Dial plate I 8 and plate 28 are provided with interengaging means for releasably securing said plates in proper relation. As here shown, said interengaging means comprises diagonally disposed apertures 40 in plate 2 8 and similarly disposed pins 42, slightly smaller in diameter'than apertures 40, projecting from the inner surface of said dial plate, said pins extending through apertures 40 fitting into recesses 44 provided in the upper surface of the watch movement 24.

As illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7 of the drawing,

dial plate l8 may be associated with a circular plate 50 to be used when the watch movement mounted in the watch case is circular. As here shown, said plate 50 has aflatlower surface 52 and a curved upper surface 54 for engaging the flat surface of the watch movement and the curved surface-of the dial plate, and .it will be understood that said plate is in other respects shaped and dimensioned to .fit the space between the dial plate and the upper surface of the watch movement, in the same manner as indicated with reference to plate 28. Said plate 50 is also provided with a central opening 56 for registry with the dial openings 36 and 38 through which the watch hand spindles project as described above in connection with fitting plate 28.

Thus, it is seen that the construction herein shown and described iswell adapted to accomplish the several objects of the present invention. It will be understood that initially flat dial plates [8 can be readily conformed to the curvature of a particular watch case by utilizing supplementary plates of correspondingcurvature and for that purposethe manufacturer may provide a supply of supplementary plates of various curvatures, shapes and sizes, and that initially fiat dial plates can be readily conformed to the curvature of the supplementary plates. It will be also noted that a dial plate, such as the dial plate l8, here shown as rectangular in shape, may be readily assembled with a circular watch movement, preferably by utilizing a circular supplementary plate as exemplified in the plate 50 illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7 of the drawing. It will be further understood that while I have shown and described the preferred construction for accomplishing the objects of the present invention, the latter is not to be limited to said specific construction, since the invention may be embodied otherwise than as here shown and described and variations in details of construction and in the form and arrangement of parts may be made. Accordingly, I do not wish to be limited to said specific construction herein shown or described, except as may be required by the scope of the appended claims.

Having'thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A watch case dial assembly for a watch case which is longitudinally curved and which is provided with a watch movement which has a fiat surface adjacent the bezel of the case, comprising a dial plate constructed and arranged to conform to the curvature of said bezel, and a supplementary dial member comprising a plate having opposite flat and curved surfaces for holding said dial plate in longitudinally curved formation between said bezel and said watch movement.

2. .A watch case dial assembly for a watch case which is longitudinally curved and which is provided with a watch movement which has a flat surface adjacent the bezel of the case, comprising' a dial plate constructed and arranged to conform to the curvature of said bezel, and a supplementary dial member comprising a plate having opposite flat and curved surfaces for holding said dial plate in longitudinally curved formation between said bezel and said watch movement, said dial plate and said supplementary dial plate having registering openings therethrough for the passage of the watch hand spindles from the watch movement to the outer surface of said dial plate.

3. VA watch case dial assembly for a watch case which is longitudinally curved and which is provided with a watch movement which has a fiat surface adjacent the bezel of the case, comprising a dial plate constructed and arranged to conform to the curvature of said bezel, a supplementary dial member comprising a plate having opposite flat and curved surfaces for holding said dial plate in longitudinally curved formation between said bezel and said watch movement, said dial plate and said supplementary dial plate having interengaging means for releasably securing them together and provided with registering openings therethrough for the passage of the watch hand spindles from the watch movement to the outer surface of said dial plate.

4. A watch case of the class described and in which a watch movement having a flat upper surface is mountable, comprising a longitudinally curved bezel, a correspondingly curved dial plate, and means constructed and arranged to be mounted between said watch movement surface and said dial plate for retaining the latter in said curved formation in engagement with said bezel.

LOUIS COHEN. 

